Chateau Tumbleweed is a collaboration of four friends – two husband-and-wife teams – who, after working more than 30 combined years for other Arizona wineries, recently left their “day jobs” to focus on their own project. We have a great friendship, a penchant for absurdity and complementary skills in vineyard management, winemaking, sales and administration. Beginning as a concept dreamed up in Arizona's beautiful White Mountains, we crafted our first wine – only three barrels – in 2011. After three vintages of making our wine at the Four-Eight Wineworks Winemaker’s Cooperative in Camp Verde (2012-2014), we took the plunge, purchased the building we’d been eying for the previous year and converted it into one of Clarkdale’s first commercial winery and tasting rooms.

Gary and the crew head to Flagstaff, Arizona to meet with Joe Bechard and Kris Porthier, creator of Chateau Tumbleweed, an independent winery and tasting room. Then they head over to Houston, Texas to meet with fashion designer Onyii Brown, owner of Onyii and Co., a luxury lifestyle clothing brand that caters to women.